chaney



(No Model.) I '2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. O. GHANEY.

DRY keoLn SEPARATOR.

,111. Patented Sept. 18, 1 883.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. G. GHANEY. I

DRY GOLD SEPARATOR. No 285,111. 1 Patented Sept.,18, 1883..

UNTTnn STATns SALATHIEL C. CHANEY,

PATENT @FFlCEO OF CHICO, CALIFORNIA.

DRY GOLD-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 285,111, dated September 18, 1883.

Application filed llfay 511, 1882. (No model.)

To all, whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, SALATHIEL O. CITANEY, of Chico, in the county of Butte and State of California, have invented an Improvement in a Dry Gold-Separator; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a new and useful dry gold-separator, and to certain improve ments therein, consisting in the means for feeding and progressing the auriferous earth, sand, or gravel; in the means for causing a draft to carry off the dust and concentrate the material; in the means for heating the material and crumbling it; in the means for eliminating the large rocks and for cooling the concentrations, all of which I shall 110w fully explain by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which i Figure 1 is a perspective view of my separator, a portion of the casing O and smokestack E being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same.

The object of my invention is to obtain the precious particles from earth, sand, or gravel without the use of water.

A is the stand or foundation of the machine.

B B are the ends; and G is the outer casing, which incloses the sides and top. This may be made to join with the ends in any suitable manner to form a complete casing for the ma chine.

D is a hollow conveyer having the shape of a truncated cone. It has a central axis or shaft, (2, which is mounted in hearings in the ends B B and projects at each end. The axis of the conveyer is mounted on a plane parallel with the foundation; but because of the conical shape of the conveyer its bottom is inclined. Its small end opens into the smokestack E, while its large end opens into a chamher or passage, 0, formed on the end B. :D is a similar conveyer having axis d. It is mounted under the first conveyer, with its large end at the opposite side, so that its bottom inclines oppositely to the bottom of the upper conveyer. The small' end of the lower conveyer opens into passage 0, while its large end opens into a passage, 0, formed in the other end B.

F are the grate-bars in the fire-chamber f, the entrance to which is the doorf in one end. The grate -bars are made of gas-pipe forces down the upper door.

open at each end. These extend but about onethird of the distance of the foundation A,

and terminate in an upwardly-inclined passage, 0, formed by the underlapping edges of the casin 0. This passage communicateswith passage 0 through a valve-door, a. In the other end is formed an opening, I), for the draft to pass through the grate-bars. This openingis covered by a damper, b. In this manner the draft does not pass through the coals, but through the bars, and enters the passage c with the flame. The draft is created by a fan-blower, G, placed in the smokestack. This draws through conveyer D, passage 6, conveyer D, passage 0, valve-door a, passage c, grate-bars F, and opening I). l The flame follows the same course through both conveyers.

H is the feed-hopper, opening throdgh one end B into the upper conveyer. In order to prevent the draft from coming in through this hopper, I have near its top a swinging door, h, and another, h, farther down. Upon the pivot-shaft of the upper door is a weighted arm, 2', which holds the door normally closed. It impinges against. the upper end of a pivoted latch, j, the lower'end of which engages with one end of a bent arm, is, on the pivot-shaft of the lower door. The latch j is weighted sufficiently to cause its lower end to fall into engagement with the bent arm is when it is relieved from the impingement of the upper arm, 1', and thus to hold the lower door closed.

The arm k of this door is so weighted as to return it to a closed position, and thelatch holds it there. My object in this construction is to keep one door closed all the time, even when putting in a charge of the'auriferous earth, so that the fan-blower shall not cause a draft through the hopper, butshall draw from below exclusively.

These devices accomplish the result in the following manner: Normally both doors are closed. The charge is put in the hopper and This movement of the door throws. its arms 43 up,,relieving the weighted latch j, which instantly falls into engagement with the bent arm in, and thus holds the lower door, which supports the charge. The

capacity of the hopper being known, the charge 2 eefmiii arm i comes down on the latch j and swings it out of engagement with the bent arm 7:, where upon the lower door is forced down by the charge, which passes through into the open end of the upper conveyer, D. Thus one of the doors is always closed, and the operation is automatic.

Across the passage (2, at the point or plane where the upper eonveyer discharges into it, are fixed spaced bars I, access to which ishad through an opening, J in the end. This is covered by a door or cap, J, which is to bethe rear end of a convever D similar to conveyers D D. This is by means of an axis, (Z mounted on the side of the machine outside of easing 0. Its sides near its larger end are perforated at m, and its inner surface is provided with flanges 12, for better picking up and dropping the earth in its revolution.

The operation of the machine as far as described is as follows: Through suitable pulleys, belts, and a power device motion is transmitted to revolve the conveyers D D D" and the fan-blower.G. A fire is started on the gratebars. The suction of the fan causes a draft through opening I), through the grate-bars, through passage 0, and also through the conveyer D. Both drafts enter passage 0, thence through eonveyer D, passage 0, conveyer D, and out through the stack E. The draft car ries the flame with it through both conveyers. The auriferous earth, sand, or gravel is fed in through hopper H, as heretofore described. It passes down the inclined bottom of the up: per conveyor, drops through passage 0, where the large rocks are caught on bars I, passes into and through the lower conveyer into passage c, the smaller rocks being caught on'bars L, and passes through pipe M into and through conveyer D to its end, where it is discharged, the larger portions falling out the end, while the smaller pass through the perforations m and are caught in any suitable receptacle. I11 its course it is gradually concentrated by means of the opposing draft, which carries off the very light dust through the stack. dries it thoroughly, causing a better separation and permitting it to crumble, whereby the action of the draft is had with better effect. This drying process increases as the material progresses, so that throughout the entire operation the d raft is able to carry off the dust. It is only the heavy concentrated material which finally passes through pipe M into the conveyer D This conveyer is not subjected to the fire, and I th ereforc distinguish it by the name of cooler. The object of cooling the concentrations is to allow them to amalgamate better when discharged.

WVithin the interior of the conveyers D D are pivoted arms 0, carrying heavy weights or hammers 0. These in the revolution of the conveyers fall down upon and crumble the material.

It becomes necessary sometimes to cut off the flame from the conveyers. To do this I have a valve-door or opening, 0, above the upper convcyer and within the casing O. This communicates with the stack. I open this valve 0 and close the one a into the passage 0 below. The flame then passes up inside of easing 0, around the outside of the conveyers, and into the stack through valve 0.

I here show the following means by which I transmit power to the machine, though any other means will answer: I is an engine. 1) is the driving-belt to pulley Q on axis (1 of cooler 1). Upon the other end of this axis is a pulley, g, from which a belt, 1-, extends to pulley R on shaft-axis d, from which a belt, t, extends to pulley T on shaft-axis d. Upon the outer end of this axisis a pulley, S, from which a belt, 8, extends to a pulley, s, on the axis of the fan-blower G. These devices are not unchangeable, but simply show how motion might be given.

It would probably be necessary to drive the fan-blower at a much higher rate of speed than the conveyers, and it would require a more direct or different connection; but for the present purpose I need show no other devices. I may also use any other power device, such as horse or hand power; but by using the en gine I obtain an advantage through the following connections: I connect the smoke-stack of the engine with the passage 0 by means of a pipe, U. The draft sucks the fire from. the engine as well as from its own fire-box, and thus a saving may be effected.

I am aware that it is not ncwin ore roasting and chloridizing machines to cause the ore to travel toward the fire, either by means of retating cylinders, revolving arms, or by reason of inclined floors; and I am also aware that in dry gold-separators the separation or concentration is effected by means of a blast of air variously applied but in the former class of machines the heat is the primary principle and no necessity exists for a draft or blast of air, while in the latter class the combination of heat with a draft applied as I have shown, or at all, has never been accomplished.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dry gold-separator, the stand A, casing C, and ends 13 B, having the draft-opening 1), the valve-door a, and the passages c e, as shown, the hollow grate-bars F, the conveyers D D, having oppositely-inclined bottoms and connecting with passages c e, and means for rotating said conveyers, in combination with the smoke-stack E, connecting with the conveyer D, the fan-blower G in said stack, and means for operating it, the firechamber f, having the hollow grate-bars F,

and the passage 0, connecting through valvedoor a with passage 6, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. Ina dry gold-separator, the rotating conveyers D D, having passages e c, the stack E, and the fan-blower G therein, for causing a draft through said conveyers, in combination with the feed-hopper H, opening into the conveyer D, and the normally-horizontal doors h h, for automatically keeping said hopper closed to prevent the draft from being drawn through said hopper, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

3. Ina dry gold-separator, the rotating consubstantially as' and for the purpose herein described.

4. In a dry gold-separator, the rotating conveyers D D and the passages c e, in combination with the spaced bars I L therein, and thecapped openings J K, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

5. In a dry gold-separator, the stand A,

having fire-chamber f and hollow grate-bars F, the ends B B, having openings 1) a and passages c e, the rotating conveyers D D, I

tially as and for the purpose herein described.

6. In a dry gold-separator, the stand A, having fire-chamber f, the ends B B, having an opening, b, and a valve-door, a, and passages e e, and a top opening or valve-door, O, in combination with the rotating conveyers D D, mounted in said ends, the stack E, and the outside casing, C, substantially as and for the purpose herein described. 7

7. The rotating conveyers D D, in combination with the hinged arms 0 and the weights or hammers 0, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

. 8. In a dry gold-separator, the rotating conveyers D D and passages e e, the stack E and fan-blower G therein, and the fire-chamber f, in combination with the power-engine P and the pipe U, connecting its stack with the passage 6', substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

SALATHIEL o. CHANEY.

\Vitnesses: (l. D. COLE,

J. H. BLOOD. 

